Common Chemicals May Delay Pregnancy

The entire pregnancy phase can be a very daunting time, with the amount of physical and emotional strength that the mother requires to get through it. Things aren’t helped by the number of complications that are likely to rear their heads during the entire duration of the pregnancy. Moreover, the fact that most pregnancy complications could have very serious consequences, most expecting mothers and fathers will tend to be rather nervous about even the smallest problems. Most of us do not realize that the lifestyles we live and consider normal can also have a significant impact on the entire episode. For example, modern medicine gives us a quick fix solution for almost any medical problem. Some of the very common over the counter medication that is purchased without a second thought to cure the common cold that you are suffering contains certain chemicals that alter the chemical composition of your body – that could possibly have a telling effect on a pregnancy. Some recent studies also suggest that certain objects that are commonplace in today’s society could also play their part. Certain types of chemicals known as perfluorinated chemicals are used as a pervasive in pesticides, clothing, carpets, upholstery and personal care products are known to delay pregnancies.

The study also identified that a group of Danish women, who were participants in the test, had higher levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate, also known as PFOS, in their systems and were known to be a major contributor in the fact that these women took longer to get pregnant. The women that had the highest levels of PFOS took between 70 percent to 134 percent longer to get pregnant when compared to women that had either normal or substantially lower PFOS content in their systems. While the root reason why the chemicals interrupt and delay the pregnancy is not known as yet, the chemicals are known to affect the hormones involved in reproduction. Some of the more recent studies carried out on animals show the chemical to have a variety of toxic based effects on the immune system, liver, developmental as well as reproductive organs.

It is important to note that there are a number of natural sources of PFOA as well that play a part in affecting your system. Food, drinking water, dust and even outdoor air are known to be sources of PFOA to people while contaminated food and drinking water are known to be the biggest contributors.